My New Year’s Resolution Is to Stop Stealing As Much

02Jan

My New Year’s resolution this year is to stop stealing as much…

In my devotional reading this morning (from this book), I came across this from Basil of Caesarea (pictured above):

“When someone steals a person’s clothes, we call him a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat hanging unused in your closet belongs to those who need it; the shoes rotting in your closet to the one who has no shoes. The money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”

It was convicting to read that. My resolution is to be even more generous and giving in 2012, especially to the poor and to help the fight against poverty.

I get tired of the ongoing political debate in this country about what role government (and therefore our taxes) should play in fighting poverty. Here is what I know, as people of faith it is our job to feed to the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, care for the sick… and to at least stop stealing from the poor.